


Brother Says He Loves Me

by FactCheck



Category: One Piece
Genre: AU - No Devil Fruit, Abuse, Blood, Character Death, Child Abduction, Child Abuse, Copious Amount of Bathing, Emotional Abuse, Facial Scars, Gen, Implied Sexual Abuse, Kidnapping, Kinda, Law has vitiligo, Law is a gremlin child, Mutilation, Not Sexually but Like it is a Lot, Physical Abuse, Rosinante is Mute, Sign Language, Stockholm Syndrome, There is Definitely More, Torture, hard of hearing character, mute character, psychological abuse, vitiligo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:14:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22279225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FactCheck/pseuds/FactCheck
Summary: Doflamingo needs a Family doctor and Law just so happens to be the son of two brilliant doctors. Too bad nothing works out for poor Law in any way, shape, or form as he is forced to work for murderers who hold his fragile life in their hands.
Relationships: Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Donquixote Doflamingo & Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante, Donquixote Doflamingo & Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 53
Kudos: 98





	1. A New Home and a Loving Family

**Author's Note:**

  * For [owl_beans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/owl_beans/gifts).



> What happens when a dispatcher and a college student watch too much One Piece and SVU? You get shit like this

Doflamingo came home with a little girl one night, marking a definitive turning point in Rocinante’s deceptively short life.

The girl was a thin, malnourished thing with large, dark eyes that looked unsurely around her while a tiny hand clutched Doflamingo’s larger one desperately as if she was afraid the man would disappear at the drop of a hat.

Rocinante didn’t question her presence and neither did the other executives, but Doflamingo explained himself all the same, never one to miss an opportunity to discuss matters that concerned himself.

“I found her wandering in the streets. She said she was abandoned,” Doflamingo looked down at the girl, pulling her forward so everyone could see her better. “I think she’ll make a good honey pot in the future.”

It wasn’t a question, but Trébol nodded, face displaying his pride with Doflamingo’s forethought and choice. The older man clapped his hands happily, praising the blond as if he had achieved some honorable goal as Trébol was want to do for every action the taller man made.

Doflamingo listened intently to the words, soaking up the exclamations with a smile that was sharper than any smile had a right to be when dealing with the topic of picking up a child as if she was a stray cat to be used as a sexual decoy. 

Rocinante could see Doflamingo’s attention start to wander when Trébol opted to turn his gaze to Baby 5, slicking her up with slimy words that ensnared the girl who looked utterly thrilled that people seemed to like her, absolutely vibrating at the attention she was getting.

Trébol took her by the hand, leading her from the room as he told her about how much she was going to love the Family and what her place was in their folds.

Doflamingo had stopped paying attention entirely by that point, losing interest when she stepped out of his grasp, and instead turned to Rocinante.

His smile grew and he raised his arms, bringing his hands down to rest on the other man’s shoulders, pulling him close enough that Rocinante could feel the heat radiating off of him in crashing waves that felt like they could melt off his skin.

“You’ll take care of her for me, right Roci?”

Rocinante’s eyebrows furrowed at the question.

He didn’t know how to deal with kids. Their Family had taken in a few since Doflamingo and Rocinante themselves had been adopted by Trébol and the ones that made it were all practically self-reliant and strictly under their “father’s” control to nurture into spies and drones for the Family.

Warm bodies to take the fall when needed and prevent mishaps from occurring.

The little girl was anything but self reliant. 

Rocinante tilted his head, expressing his confusion, when the hands suddenly tightened on his shoulders, the blunt crescents of his brother’s nails discernible through his shirt and coat before just as abruptly he started rubbing them roughly, slowly putting pressure until Rocinante’s knees ached. 

“Won’t you?” His brother asked again, though it wasn't a question, and this time Rocinante didn’t hesitate to nod.

_______________

Baby 5 was an easy kid to deal with.

She took punishments well and was quick to please. 

As a fast learner, Baby 5 was able to excel in weapon studies and, as a result, she spent a lot of time with their now second youngest member, Gladius, training on how to handle and operate firearms.

Rocinante didn’t have to do anything for her too often and he was glad for the fact. He really didn’t know how to handle children.

There was one fault of the little girl’s, however: low loyalty.

As a people pleaser, Baby 5 wanted to please everyone, no matter who they were. The Donquixote Family members learned quickly how to counteract it by telling her that they needed her more, that she was loved by them more, that only they could really understand her, but it didn’t change the fact that she still betrayed them on occasion or chose to stop doing an assignment in favor of doing a request.

It was especially troublesome when she met undesirables on the streets who tried to persuade her to follow them with even the lamest of excuses. She had been kidnapped six times in less than three months and Doflamingo was getting visibly annoyed with her actions.

“Roci,” Rocinante looked up from the book he was reading about some man who lied his way to his own execution to look at his brother. “Baby 5 needs to learn a lesson. I don’t mind that she likes helping people, but she needs to know her place and duty.”

Doflamingo stood in the doorway, leaning against it casually as he fiddled with a string, a monkey’s cradle twining between his fingers. His face was devoid of its usual smile, though he was relaxed and didn’t appear to be entirely angry at the moment.

Rocinante heard the command in the words and nodded in reply. Doflamingo’s face split into a smile at the action as he ambled into the room to ruffle Rocinante’s hair.

“I know I can count on you, Roci.” The hand lingered, fingers tangling in Rocinante’s curls, and Doflamingo used the handhold to gently lift Rocinante’s face to stare down at it in contemplation. 

“Don’t be too gentle on her.” His fingers slipped out as he turned to leave, Rocinante frowning at his broad back as he mulled over the words.

Rocinante watched his brother walk out of the room before setting the book down and following. 

He looked for Baby 5 in Gladius’s artillery room first, finding her quickly as she spent most of her free time practicing, always hoping to get just that little bit better each time so the older boy would congratulate her.

The man came to her side and watched as she disassembled a gun with a whirl of her fingers. She reassembled it just as fast, throwing the weapon on the table to pick up a stopwatch and grinning at the time it displayed.

Rocinante leaned closer to see the time and the piece of paper listing weapon names and more times.

She was getting better.

Baby 5 noticed him and smiled sweetly, her rosy cheeks dimpling and Rocinante tilted his own scarred lips up.

“Look, Roci! My time is decreasing! Soon, I’ll be just as good as Gladius,” Her bell-chime of a laugh rang out and she clutched the paper closer to her small chest. “I’ll be able to help the Family even more!”

Rocinante let his smile widen before it slipped off, catching the girl’s attention immediately.

She tilted her head curiously, her smile concerned as her brows creased.

Rocinante didn’t sign at her, she had only been in the Family for half a year and her ability wasn’t that good, but he offered his hand, letting her take it before leading her out of the room.

Doflamingo was waiting outside the door and Rocinante nodded to him, Baby 5 waving cheerfully as she greeted him.

Doflamingo smiled back at her, wide enough for his back teeth to show, as he waved in return, bending down to get eye level with the little girl.

“Be a good girl for Roci, Baby 5.”

“I will!”

Rocinante led her into a room in the basement, one with no windows and just a little light coming from a flickering bulb on the ceiling.

She turned to him, face full of trust and innocence and Rocinante swung his leg, catching her in the side and sending her flying into a wall.

She sat stunned, tiny hand grasping her side before she screamed in pain, tears starting to trickle down her face as she sobbed in shock.

Rocinante watched her for a few seconds, lighting up a cigarette as she cried in both pain and shock. The suddenness just as disturbing as the blossoming agony.

The dim air became hazy with the smoke and Rocinante finally stalked forward to crouch in front of her. He stared at her shaking form before taking the cigarette out of his mouth and bringing it closer to her face. He held it inches from her eye, her pupil dilated, too afraid to look away from the burning end of the bud. Rocinante could see her struggle not to cough as the smoke filled her lungs.

He pulled the cigarette away, watching her black eyes follow the movement with an almost animalistic fear. Rocinante saw her small chest beat with the force of her quick gasps before putting the lit bud out against his forearm.

He watched her follow the movement uncomprehendingly, tilting his head to the side in contemplation of her terror.

The tall man reached forward to pat the shivering girl’s hair, twiddling with her bow, as she cowered away from him into the dirty concrete wall. He stroked her hair gently, running his fingers through her curls until she stopped crying.

The mute man wiped her tears with the back of his hand until her breathing evened out and she stared up at him cautiously, eyes dancing around his face to see if he would hurt her again.

He smiled again and her returning smile was small and shaky.

A knock on the door preceded Doflamingo’s entrance and he opened his arms wide as he walked over to the two, scooping the girl up and holding her tightly to his chest. She held onto him desperately, clutching his feathered coat in her small fists and burying her face into his neck in an effort to seek comfort.

Rocinante was sure Baby 5 didn’t know what she had done wrong until Doflamingo had held her in his arms and whispered sweetly in her ear that Rocinante had to hurt her because she kept leaving to go to other families, and the mute man wondered why his brother allowed him to punish her when he couldn’t tell her what she had done to deserve Rocinante’s punishment.

But Rocinante did know that Baby 5 never got kidnapped again. 


	2. Pocket Change and Cereal Bowls

It was the second child, a boy named Buffalo, that Doflamingo went out of his way to get.

Baby 5 was devastated when the boy, in later years, would mock her for being found while he was scouted. She cried for ten straight minutes before Buffalo asked her to give him her slice of cake and she cheerfully handed it to him with a wide smile that nearly overrode any tear tracks running down her face.

Buffalo was a heavy kid who excelled in judo.

He won championships one after another and Doflamingo was instantly intrigued, turning to Rocinante as the two watched the T.V. with a, “We should get him, Roci.” 

Rocinante immediately shook his head, hands coming up to say, “ _ That’s a bad idea _ .”

His brother’s grin didn’t disappear but the edges got sharper and his brow dipped just enough for Rocinante to shake his hands in a motion to dispel the earlier signing.

“ _ How _ ?” He finally asked, his hands holding their position as he stared back at the other man.

Doflamingo contemplated for a few moments before a shark-grin spread across his face, the arm around the back of the couch falling down to wrap around Rocinante’s shoulder as his brother pulled him closer.

“Roci, we’re going to go find a nice park.”

_____________

Rocinante realized rather belatedly that Doflamingo didn’t plan on kidnapping the kid.

They instead sat in a park, watching Baby 5 and other children play on the swing sets and couples hold hands as they walked around in a daze, and waited for the boy to get close enough for Doflamingo to strike up a conversation.

He had started slow, his lips pulled into a smile as he commented on how strong the other looked. His eyebrows rising nearly comically when the boy said he did Judo and Doflamingo talked excitedly about the sport, the kid listening in rapture.

Rocinante hadn’t known Doflamingo knew so much about Judo, but he guessed that his brother was nothing if not thorough. He had probably spent the last month between their last conversation about the boy and now studying up on it.

Rocinante knew he had been looking into it, his brother excited to show him some moves that left his shoulders screaming and his ribs bruised, but it appeared he studied more than just the physical aspect of it. 

Rocinante rubbed his shoulder absently, rolling it discreetly to get out the residual soreness. 

His eyes caught a passing mother’s as she pushed a stroller past them, a small smile on her face as she watched the man and boy excitedly discuss sports and judo moves. When her eyes fell to him, however, her smile dropped and her face paled before she quickly turned away and pushed her stroller faster.

Rocinante looked down, pulling his hat lower and letting his hair and the cap’s tassels hide his face in shadow. He reached his other hand out, grasping his brother’s coat, letting the familiar texture relax him.

Doflamingo threw a look at him but continued chatting with the kid.

“Hey, what’s your favorite food?”

The kid answered immediately with ice cream and Doflamingo’s smile widened.

“Here,” The tall man handed the boy a bill, his smile sharp to Rocinante’s eyes, but not to Buffalo’s. “Why don’t you get some for yourself?”

The boy’s smile was too wide, his front teeth more prominent than the rest as he took the money with greedy hands. 

Rocinante raised a brow at the action before looking over his brother’s shoulder to see he had handed Buffalo a $20. 

He sat back, watching as the kid ran off, waving over his shoulder with a call of, “Thanks, mister!” trailing behind him.

Doflamingo settled back too, throwing an arm behind his brother on the bench and kicking a heel up to rest on his knee. His other hand rested absently in his lap, but his fingers brushed comfortingly against the back of Rocinante’s hand whenever it got in range as the younger continued to fiddle with the elder’s coat.

“This’ll be easy.” The smile he threw at Rocinante was full of sharp teeth and gleeful giddiness, the playfulness dancing in his eyes visible to him even through his brother’s sunglasses, almost making Rocinante forget what they were there to do.

Rocinante clenched the jacket in his fist tighter, memorizing the shapes Doflamingo drew on his hand to distract the churning in his stomach.

Doflamingo was right.

It would be easy.

_________________

Doflamingo took Rocinante and Baby 5 back with him to the park every other week for three months.

Each time, they would sit in the park for a few hours as Baby 5 played until Buffalo came along to talk Doflamingo’s ear off as the man fed him candy and supplied him with more pocket change.

He eased his way into the boy’s trust, which Rocinante supposed wasn’t hard considering he was scarfing down candy from a stranger like no one’s business, but by the third week, the boy was telling them about his family and school and his tournaments.

Doflamingo began his process after the first month. Little things that wiggled into your brain and ate at your thoughts.

Do you like Judo? Do you like tournaments? Do you like school? Do you like your parents?

Who made you start Judo? Who pushes you to practice for tournaments? Who makes you do homework when you’re exhausted from fighting? Aren’t they harsh? Aren’t they selfish? Aren’t they mean?

When they had started, Buffalo talked about his parents as any child would, with an adoration and affection and a disarming honesty. But as the second month came about, he started to frown when he mentioned them, his brows furrowing and his lips pinching.

By month number three, Buffalo hated them.

They continued to go to the park every other week, then every few weeks, then once a month before they stopped going altogether.

A policeman asked them if they had seen a missing child four months after Doflamingo decided to make Buffalo a part of their Family, and Rocinante thought of the boy at home, shoveling food into his mouth as he and Baby 5 bickered with each other.

He shook his head in reply and in the months that they sat in the park afterwards, the police stopped looking and no one thought to suspect the two brothers who continued to sit on the park bench long after their target had been captured.

Rocinante couldn’t help but wonder why Buffalo ran from his loving home into their rather heavy handed Family, but he supposed it was for the same reason Rocinante did.

He felt loved.

____________

“Yeah, but his face looks funny.” 

Rocinante ignored the kid.

Buffalo had gotten more comfortable in their Family in the three months he had been with them.

Doflamingo was careful, not exactly wary, but cautious that Buffalo had a home he could return to. If he wasn’t properly enfolded into them, he could leave. And if he left, he could tattle.

So Buffalo was introduced to the executives slower than with Baby 5 and the lower level Family members.

The boy was definitely convinced that Doflamingo was some kind of god with very deep pockets, and both the Donquixote brothers realized that with the right incentives, Buffalo wasn’t one to wander.

It was probably the strictness of his Judo training that made him susceptible to bribery, a fact that Doflamingo commanded Rocinante to keep a careful eye on, but Buffalo had done well in taking punishments, his body tough and his emotions rather base.

He was a simple kid.

Rocinante was worried though.

Buffalo was someone who spoke his mind and voiced his thoughts easily. 

There was only one more executive he had to meet, someone both Doflamingo and Rocinante agreed should be kept for last.

Pica.

“He doesn’t talk and his fashion sense is weird.” The boy shoved a spoonful of cereal in his mouth before pointing the empty spoon at Rocinante, speaking to Baby 5 through a mouth full of food. “I don’t know how you can understand his motions - it’s strange. He’s strange.”

“He’s Doflamingo’s brother.” Baby 5 frowned at the boy from her position on Rocinante’s lap, her small hands fiddling with the tall man’s sleeve as she waited for breakfast to be over. He could feel her tiny fingers run over the burn mark he had given himself over two years ago and he rested his chin on her head, waiting for Doflamingo to bring in the executive.

Buffalo wrinkled his nose at the words, frowning around another bite.

“Still weird, though.”

The door opened, all three turning to look as Doflamingo strolled in, Pica struggling to fit through the doorway with his massive body behind him.

The blond man threw his arms wide, a toothy grin spreading across his face as he ambled towards Rocinante and Baby 5, leaning down to ruffle her hair and place a kiss on her forehead before raising up to tap Rocinante’s face affectionately, his hand lingering as he turned to Buffalo.

“I know I’ve been pairing you with Señor Pink and Machvise, but I think you’d do well with Pica here, too.” Doflamingo stepped back to pat Pica’s shoulder, his smile wide as he looked at Buffalo’s awed face.

Buffalo looked over the huge man with a reverence that only came about when you meet someone who fit the image of what you considered a superior human being to be like perfectly.

“Wow! I can’t wait to train with you!”

“I can’t wait either.” Pica nodded gruffly.

Just like that, the flip switched as Buffalo sat frozen and the rest of them waited with bated breath.

It started with a snort before the boy burst into hysterical laughter, leaning back in his seat as he held his wide stomach.

Baby 5 who had had a look of overwhelming joy on her face from Doflamingo’s attention turned horrified eyes towards her new brother, her mouth falling open as she darted looks between Pica’s face and the shrieking boy.

Before Pica could take a step forward, Rocinante reached across the table, gripping the boy’s short black hair in his hand and slamming his face into his cereal.

Buffalo struggled against it, milk sloshing over the bowl’s edge wildly as the liquid filled his nose and Rocinante let him pull his head up slightly before slamming in back down again, this time hitting against the rim of the bowl and sending its contents flying.

Rocinante brought the boy’s face up one last time, letting it crash into the table before grinding it against its surface.

Baby 5 gripped the arm around her waist tightly, forced to bend halfway over the table with Rocinante as she watched with wide eyes. Rocinante could feel her fluttering breath against his forearm and he let go of Buffalo, readjusting the girl so she sat more comfortably on his lap. He looked down at her with concerned eyes, letting his face ask if she was alright. Baby 5 looked up at him, a small smile on her blanched face and he let his own lips upturn.

Doflamingo’s hand came down on Rocinante’s shoulder as he frowned at Buffalo, his lips pursed in disappointment.

“That wasn’t nice, Buffalo. We don’t make fun of our family members.”

Rocinante felt the hand tighten on his shoulder, his brother’s fingers digging into the skin and the sitting man looked up into Doflamingo’s face.

His brother’s downturned mouth told him that Rocinante hadn’t done well in dissuading Buffalo’s personality glitches.

“Roci, teach Buffalo some manners. Hopefully this hiccup will be corrected next time.” Doflamingo said aloud before leaning down to whisper in Rocinante’s ear.

Rocinante felt his throat go dry at the words and he grabbed at the hand on his shoulder, looking at his brother with pleading eyes, his useless mouth opening though, expectedly, no words came forth.

Doflamingo stared at him with a blank face, offering nothing as the younger silently begged, and Rocinante wanted nothing more than to cry in that moment.

Buffalo’s tearful sniffling was the only sound in the room as Doflamingo walked out with Pica trailing behind him.

Rocinante watched him leave, hugging Baby 5 closer to him with the arm around her waist as she patted his forearm comfortingly as Doflamingo’s words played in his head -

“ _ I’m disappointed in you. _ ”

Rocinante wasn’t looking forward to seeing just how disappointed Doflamingo was with him.

He really wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave your thoughts! They are important to us and help us continue this fic!!!


	3. Father's Favorite Razor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of the chapters told from Rocianante's POV, the rest will be told from Law's

Doflamingo’s hands held him gently as the needle and thread pulled his skin back together. Rocinante was used to the pain and the familiar tug felt comforting more than anything.

The two sat in the living room, Rocinante perched on a stool as Doflamingo stitched him up, the television playing in the background.

“You should have known better.”

Rocinante nodded in reply, wincing as a particularly hard tug of the thread pulled the skin on his shoulder uncomfortably.

Doflamingo sighed, rubbing his thumb along the back of Rocinante’s neck from where his hand was encircling his nape to push his head down, giving him a better view of the long cut from the mute man’s shoulder blade to the top of his arm socket.

“I’m almost done, just two more.”

Rocinante didn’t reply, but rather focused on the warmth coming from his brother’s hands and the press of his thumb against the top of Rocinante’s spinal column.

“Young Master!” Jora burst through the doorway, her pistol hanging limply from her hand as she clutched a blanket to her chest with the other. “I completed my mission!”

Doflamingo hummed, pulling the last stitch through before tying it off and turning to look at the honey pot.

“That’s good, how did it go?” 

“Easy,” she smiled sharply, face full of gleeful pride. “He died with a smile on his face; poor sod never saw it coming.”

Doflamingo nodded, leaning his hip against Rocinante’s back and throwing a bloody hand over the younger’s shoulder.

“What’s with the blankets?” Doflamingo pointed his chin at the bundle in her arms curiously.

Jora waved her gun haphazardly.

“I found a baby and decided to keep it.” She paused after a second, tilting her head with a slight crease between her brows. “You don’t mind, do you, Young Master?”

The blond’s eyebrows rose in surprise but he shook his head.

“Good! I’m going to go shopping for stuff - I’m using the children’s funds - so I’ll set my report on your desk and be back by dinner.”

Jora walked out of the room with a swing of her hips, the brothers seeing a peek of a baby over her shoulder before she was gone.

“Huh, looks like we have a new one, Roci.” Doflamingo leaned down to murmur in his brother’s ear. He patted his shoulder pointedly as he pulled away. “Don’t let  _ this _ happen again.”

Rocinante nodded, reaching up to run his hand over the closed wound, feeling it slick with blood. He waved his brother down, Doflamingo looking up from his new seat on the couch.

“ _ We need a doctor. _ ”

Doflamingo pursed his lips in thought.

“I’ll look into it.” He waited a few seconds, a frown maring his lips. “Do you not like my work this time?”

Rocinante blinked in surprise, quickly tapping his fingers together in disagreement as he shook his head, brows furrowed. He stood up from the stool, sitting gingerly on the edge of the couch so he wouldn’t dirty it.

“ _ Our Family gets hurt a lot. It would be better to have one on hand.”  _ He tapped his brother’s knee. “ _ I’m glad you treat my injuries, Doffy. _ ”

His brother continued to stare at him before a smile stretched across his face.

“You’re right.” He pulled Rocinante against his side, making sure his bloody shoulder didn’t touch the couch and turned back to the T.V.

__________________

The dining room was in an uproar when Rocinante entered.

Vergo was enraged that Jora had brought in a child without permission from the executives, ignoring her claims that Doflamingo had agreed because she was supposed to go to them before going to their leader.

“It’s the principle of the matter,” he stated coldly, sneering at the woman sitting across from him. “It’s too late now, but the fact that you chose to ignore procedure is disgusting.”

“Oh fuck off, Vergo.” Jora replied flippantly, cradling the infant to her chest and cooing down at it when it made a sound.

Vergo’s lip curled further.

Doflamingo pushed past Rocinante, reaching back to grab his brother’s wrist and dragged him further into the room.

“No fighting; we’re a Family,” The tall blond tutted, sitting down at the head of the table and leading Rocinante to the seat beside him. “What seems to be the problem?”

Vergo kept his mouth firmly shut but Jora was happy to pipe in.

“Vergo is complaining that you agreed to let little Dellinger stay here without the permission of the executives.” She smiled gleefully at Doflamingo, oozing excitement at the possibility of getting Vergo in trouble, ignoring Vergo spitting out the name,  _ ‘Dellinger?’ _ as if it was a vile slug and not the adorable child.

“I, in fact, did  _ not _ say that at all, Jora.” Vergo spat out louder, or rather spat out as much as he could without moving a single facial muscle. “I never questioned Young Master’s authority. The point was that  _ you _ did not go to the executives first.”

Doflamingo sighed loudly, stopping any further conversation.

“It’s fine now. But Jora, next time inform the executives before me.” 

Jora, undisturbed by the command, smiled and nodded while Vergo silently seethed, his ire visible in the air if not on his face.

Rocinante could feel his brother’s thumb rub against his inner wrist, the hand not falling away from when he had grabbed it earlier. He peeked over at Doflamingo, noting the sharp tilt of his smile that spoke of his annoyance.

Rocinante frowned but picked up his fork to eat.

Dinner started back on routine, the bickering and business discussions continuing at a more familiar level as Doflamingo ate one-handed, Rosinante, by default, doing the same.

After they had all finished, Doflamingo finally dropped Rocinante’s wrist, standing up and gaining everyone’s attention.

“I’d like to wish you all good night and to remind you that your reports are to be placed on my desk before the morning.” He turned to Jora, tilting his head towards to baby. “Please provide a list of requirements you need for the infant and I will see to it that the children’s account is increased in accordance.” 

Jora nodded in reply, a smile on her lips as she cuddled Dellinger closer.

Doflamingo nodded again and was answered by a choir of ‘good night’s’ and ‘yes, sir’s’.

When Doflamingo moved around the table, he stopped by Rocinante, leaning down to whisper a command into his brother’s ear:

“Come to my room tomorrow morning.”

Rocinante nodded in reply and didn’t look up until Doflamingo was out the door.

________________

When Rocinante appeared at his brother’s bedroom door at 7am, Doflamingo was waiting for him. He had barely rapped his knuckles against the wood once before Doflamingo pulled the door open, ushering Rocinante inside.

Doflamingo had set up a chair at the foot of his bed, a small table settled next to it with a bowl full of steaming water and a white cloth draped over the rim. A straight razor - the kind their father had once used - sat next to it.

Doflamingo picked up the blade and motioned offhandedly towards the chair, Rocinante quick to do as his brother asked, though he watched the blade doubtfully, following the man with his eyes as he flicked the blade open and closed, holding it up to the light to check for nicks showily. 

Rocinante gripped the armrests, fingers rubbing nervously against the smooth surface when his brother turned back to him. 

Doflamingo touched the dull back of the blade to the underside of Rocinante’s chin, putting enough pressure to tip the other man’s head back. His head rested on the back of the chair, the uncomfortableness ignored as he watched Doflamingo’s movements carefully.

The older man set the blade down, grabbing the white cloth and soaking it further in the water, bringing it up again and wringing excess liquid out and back into the bowl.

When he turned back, he gripped Rocinante’s shoulder tightly, holding the balled up cloth in his other hand.

“Roci,” he began, face oddly emotionless. “I’ve been thinking about your proposal on including a doctor in our Family.”

He took his hand away, straightening the cloth before laying it over Rocinante’s face like a burial shawl. 

The heat of it was stifling, making it hard for the man to breathe, but he didn’t dare try to move, holding still as Doflamingo’s steps receceded. 

“I agree that Moriah can be a little,” he paused, the sound of something being picked up and a wet slapping sound as if he was stirring something ringing out. “hard to get a hold of when not completely necessary, and it’s troublesome to have to stitch you up every time you...” 

The gentle tap of something being set down on the table next to him startled Rocinante, making him flinch. He was tense, muscles bunching as he tried to follow his brother with his ears. He jerked back when he felt something touching his face, relaxing when he recognized his brother’s hand.

“Have an accident.”

Doflamingo brought up his other arm, pressing the cloth into Rocinante’s face and rubbing it gently into his skin.

The younger man brought up one of his arms to grip at his brother’s forearm lightly, an anchor to settle his nerves after having one of his senses cut off and his ability to breath stifled. 

Doflamingo’s hands lowered, pressing the warm cloth into his brother’s throat, hands encircling the column before lifting the cloth away from Rocinante’s face.

Rocinante breathed quickly, the cool air hitting his damp, heated face and making him shudder. He licked his lips unconsciously, eyes darting around the room before stopping at his brother.

Doflamingo picked up a small bowl next to the still steaming water. Rocinante could see a white froth and shaving brush peeking over the edge.

Doflamingo came forward, holding the brush up and carefully painting Rocinante’s lower face and neck with the lathered cream. The foam felt cold and Rocinante had to hold himself back from jolting against the feeling.

Doflamingo leaned back to look at his work, tilting his head to see if he missed any spots and reaching out to tuck a strand of blond hair behind his brother’s ear.

Satisfied, Doflamingo set the bowl down and picked up the razor, opening it and gliding his finger along the side curiously.

“I remember when father used to shave. The other families thought it so weird for him not to get a servant to do it.” The taller man swirled the blade in this hand, watching it with a blank curiosity. “Afterwards, I thought about slicing his throat with it. Especially after mother’s death.”

Doflamingo turned to Rocinante, watching his face but not coming closer.

“He was a selfish man, don’t you agree?”

Rocinante watched his brother cautiously, fingers rubbing incessantly against the armrests before nodding slowly, brows knit together.

Doflamingo blinked at him, seeming to come back to himself.

He smiled widely, stepping closer and bringing the blade up to Rocinante’s cheek.

The edge glided along his skin, the blade sharp and well-crafted, feeling smooth as it cut away his stubble. Rocinante thought he could taste a hint of metallic twang on his tongue, but couldn’t discern why.

Doflamingo worked quietly at first. Carefully carving along Rocinante’s skin, following every curve, taking precautions to avoid his scars, and stopping every now and then to swirl the blade in the bowl of water, drying it on another cloth; a different one than he had used on Rocinante’s face, this one finer and softer so the blade didn’t get damaged.

He was finished with Rocinante’s face quickly. A weight lifting off of the younger’s chest, one he hadn’t even known to have been there. 

It was when he brought the blade to press gently against his brother’s unshaven neck that a different kind of pressure gripped his heart, and then the older started talking again.

“If we are to add a doctor into our Family, Roci, I think it should be a child.” The blade felt closer to his skin somehow and Rocinante’s head tipped back further, neck nearly straining as Doflamingo put more pressure on it to ensure his head was far enough back. Rocinante’s breath came in short pants, chest heaving, the feel of one of his brother’s hands gripping his hair to show the length of his throat not helping as he tried to keep himself steady.

Rocinante gripped the armrests desperately, feeling his back arch so he wasn’t contorted too uncomfortably. He didn’t dare touch his brother’s arm for fear of jostling him.

“I’ve been looking into it,” Rocinante tried to convince his muscles to stop trembling but it wasn’t working. “There’s a clinic down the way, a family operated one, with connections to that large hospital in downtown. It’s run by this nice couple who have two kids.”

Doflamingo finished shaving Rocinate’s neck with a flick of the blade against Rocinante’s jaw.

He swirled the knife in the water again, looking over Rocinante’s face as he dried it off.

Rocinante felt Doflamingo’s hand hold the side of his face, thumb running along his skin to find inconsistencies, and he watched his older brother’s expressions carefully.

Satisfied with his work, Doflamingo grabbed the cloth from earlier and gently wiped Rocinante’s face of any excess cream. He then took out a bottle, shaking it in his fist before popping the lid and sprinkling a few drops in his palm.

Doflamingo rubbed his hands together, spreading the liquid, before pressing them to Rocinante’s face, the other hissing slightly at the burn. He made sure to wrap his hands around Rocinante’s features, paying special attention to his neck, unwilling to leave a single spot without aftershave. 

When he was done, Rocinante breathed a sigh of relief as Doflamingo dried his hands off on the same towel.

“On Thursday’s, their oldest child, a boy, helps them with menial work,” without Rocinante realizing it, the blade was back in Doflamingo’s hands, the sharp edge pressed against the younger’s throat. “It’s Thursday, let’s go see them.”

With that, the blade pierced his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave some of your thoughts, wants, needs for this fic! We are always excited to see them and to implement your ideas!!!


	4. Meeting a Pair of Odd Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about forgetting last thursday to update! I just got out of the hospital so everything was a bit topsy-turvey but im back in business!

Law loved his family.

He loved his little sister and his caring mother and his loving father greatly. They were everything to him.

He did well with other children, just not fantastically. He was a bit of an outcast because he was a little on the strange side since he was so fascinated with his parents’ profession - one day to be his profession as well, for sure - and did things the other children thought were creepy, not to mention the white splotches on his skin that stood out from the mocha color of the rest, but they didn’t push him away too far, all of them too used to his behavior and appearance after years of knowing him at their small Christian school to care entirely too much.

He enjoyed school, as learning was one of his passions and Law took great pleasure in all his accomplishments, taking every opportunity to study up on any and every subject he could find, but there was one day a week that he was okay with slacking a bit in his studies.

On Thursdays, he got to help his mother and father in their little clinic by refilling containers and getting equipment from point A to point B. Technically, he was studying at the clinic by picking up procedures and recognizing symptoms and treatments, but it wasn’t schoolwork, so therefore it was a  _ hobby _ , not actual work.

Thursdays, by far, were his favorite days.

But it was also the day that everything started to go downhill. 

It all started with a peculiar patient.

A tall blond man was rushed in by a man with a similar appearance, most likely a relative if Law was to guess, while bleeding profusely from the neck. One of his hands was slapped over the wound in an attempt to stop the flow, but he didn’t appear to be succeeding. His horribly scarred face was pale and getting ashier by the second.

“I’m sorry, can you help us?!” The latter man asked, holding the injured man close to him as he helped the other walk inside. “This was the closest medical place near us, I didn’t know what else to do - please help him!”

Law’s mother ran forward before the scene had even fully registered to Law, going to the bleeding man’s other side and helping him sit down. His father was quick to grab a medical bag and follow her, slipping on gloves as he went, and gently taking the man’s hand away to see the damage when he got to their side.

“You’re going to be alright, the cut didn’t seem to hit anything major, but it is bleeding a lot. We need to get it stitched up.” Law’s father assured calmly, pressing down on the wound as his wife rifled through the bag and took out a suture needle and pre-packaged thread as well as a roll of fabric and anti-bacterial fluid.

Law’s father doused the wound, the man’s teeth clenching, but no sound coming out. He patted at the cut with some of the cloth, cleaning excess blood that would hinder his stitching but leaving the rest to deal with afterwards.

His stitches were neat and even, the skin closing easily under the needle. 

Law watched curiously from the side, incredibly interested in the scene. Most of the going ons in the clinic were check ups and shots; not a whole lot of action happened there.

The man barely winced as the needle pierced his skin and Law wondered if they had applied an anesthetic while he wasn’t watching. 

Law looked up to the other man as he stood next to the operation.

He was startled when he felt their eyes meet through the sunglasses, the man looking towards Law with an unreadable expression. Law looked quickly back towards his father when he saw the man’s mouth quirk upwards.

With the final stitch, Law’s father tied off the thread, dosing the wound with more fluid and wiping the rest of the blood off.

Law’s mother came forward as his father stepped away, gloved hands held in the air as he backed off to give her space.

She dressed the wound quickly, pushing the man’s ruined shirt to the side as Law’s father went to clean himself up.

“What happened?” She asked gently as she inspected her work. “It wasn’t too deep or too dangerous, but a cut to the neck is never good.”

The man didn’t reply, though his eyes searched hers, lightly panting as he gripped his shoulder a little away from the dressing’s edge.

He tapped his thumb against his chest, fingers spread and palm flat, nodding at her.

Law’s mother blinked before a smile creased her lips, a hand raising to her chin as she replied with a, “ _ Good _ .”

The man blinked too, eyes flicking up to the other blond’s before going back to her’s.

He mirrored her motion, this time in a, “ _ Thank you _ .”

Law, too, was surprised.

It wasn’t often that you found another person who knew sign language without going out of your way to look for them.

Law’s sister, Lammy, was Hard of Hearing and had been since birth. Law’s parents had made it a point to both learn their country’s sign language and to teach it to Lammy and Law, not pushing Lammy to learn spoken language, though she had picked it up in the end.

Law’s mother tried asking again, this time in ASL, but the man still said nothing, brows creasing as he gently rolled his shoulder. 

“Sorry, he’s a bit disoriented.” Both Law and his mother looked up at the other man, he was smiling softly, face disarming and Law wondered if he had imagined the strange, off-putting grin from earlier. “We ran into a mugger on the way here. He didn’t take too kindly to my brother’s quietness.”

The man’s hand fell on his brother’s shoulder, careful to avoid the dressing but slightly overlapping his brother’s own hand.

“My name is Doflamingo Donquixote, and this is my brother, Rocinante.” Doflamingo continued, not leaving room for questions and holding out a hand for the woman to take. Law’s mother reached for it before stopping short, noticing her dirty hands and smiling apologetically.

“Ah, sorry. My name is Dr. Trafalgar and this is my son, Law.” She motioned to Law, smiling at the man before her. “I’m sure you already met my husband, also called Dr. Trafalgar.”

She laughed at the joke, grinning cheerfully and Doflamingo smiled back, teeth glinting in the clinic’s lights. 

“Law, why don’t you show these two to an examination room while we get all this cleaned up? Give Mr. Rocinante a new shirt as well, please.” 

She nodded at the Donquixote brothers before walking off, leaving Law to guide the two men.

Law gestured for them to follow him, the older man helping his brother up and steadying him while they walked. 

When they came upon an empty room, Law let them inside and trotted off to get one of the spare paper shirts that were undoubtedly uncomfortable and scratchy, but still better than a bloody one.

He opened the door to their room back up when he retrieved the article of clothing, closing it behind him and holding out the shirt.

Doflamingo was already helping Rocinante out of his ruined shirt, gently holding it away from the wound as he pulled the younger’s arm through it.

When he saw Law, a smile appeared on his face. The same smile that Law had seen earlier, when his father was stitching up the wound. 

Law frowned in return, continuing to hold out the shirt.

Doflamingo took it from him as soon as he tossed the other one in the bin, holding it out to inspect it.

Law watched him for a second before looking at the injured man, Rocinante.

The scarred man was watching his brother, but then his eyes flicked to Law, his gaze too bright for comfort and the boy shifted in place.

He reminded Law of himself, just a little bit, since both of their faces were disfigured, but Rocinante was far too quiet. Not in the sense verbally, but he hadn’t signed anything at all since he had told them he was fine and thanked Law’s mother.

Law turned to leave, hand already reaching out for the door, when he saw another wound on Rocinante’s back. 

It was older than the one on his neck and the stitching, though neat, was obviously not done by a medical professional, but it was a lot fresher than the scars on his face and the ones spread out across his body.

Looking closely, Law noticed that the man was covered in not only scars, but also bruises, his skin darkened in splotches all over, his neck being the worst of it now that the boy could see under the blood.

His frown deepened and he waved the other man’s attention to him.

Both the brothers looked at him, but he ignored the elder as he gestured towards Rocinante’s back.

“ _ What happened? _ ”

The blond blinked in surprise, reaching a hand back to feel the stitching.

He measured Law up, eyes glancing at his brother in some unknown communication, before waiving off the question. 

Rocinante turned away, facing his brother and holding out his arms, allowing Doflamingo to slip the shirt over him fluidly.

“So, Law,” Doflamingo began, tone light and friendly, making Law immediately suspicious, “do you want to be a doctor like your parents?”

He hesitated, watching the man as he straightened the shirt out. 

Slowly, he nodded in reply.

Doflamingo’s eyes flicked towards him, a frown on his lips as he rubbed the shirt’s hem between his fingers.

“Are you mute, as well?”

The question startled him and he jumped, shaking his head.

The man’s frown deepened and Law realized his mistake.

“No, I’m not,” he replied.

Doflamingo hummed, leaning against the table as he watched Law with critical eyes.

“Are you any good at it?” He waved his hand in gesture to the room, “Doctoring, that is.”

Law’s brow creased at the question.

“I would hope so; I do a lot of studying.”

The man perked up at the words, eyes bright and interested as he leaned forward, though they were still quite a distance apart.

“How much do you know?”

“Not enough,” Law replied, head tilting to the side as he studied the man. “I still have a ways to go.”

The answer seemed to please the man greatly, as his smile widened even further.

“Fantastic.” Doflamingo’s fingers drummed on the table as he looked over Law. Or at least that’s what Law was assuming he was doing, he couldn’t see behind the man’s shades. “How would you like to learn more?”

Law took an automatic step back, his body registering the question as a threat even though he could not reason out why.

“What do you mean?” He cautioned, clasping his hands together in front of him.

“I can offer you a scholarship that would get you on the fast track to entering a medical school.” Doflamingo’s smile split his face, teeth lining up perfectly. “I just ask that you come study with me and work for my business when you finish.”

“I don’t need a scholarship.” Law frowned. “Nor do I want to stay with you.”

Doflamingo’s smile faltered, a long silence following Law’s words.

The man gripped the edge of the examination table, knuckles popping audibly.

“You could become a doctor much sooner,” Doflamingo hedged again. “I can assure a very proper and thorough education, as well as enough connections to get you any archive or internship you want.”

Law knew that whatever the man was promising sounded wonderful, but the 10-year-old shook his head, frown deepening.

“I don’t want it.”

There was a tense silence. A weight in the air that felt suffocating.

Doflamingo suddenly pushed off the table in such a startling movement that Law stumbled back, watching the man with fearful eyes.

“Let’s go pay the kind doctors, Rocinante.” 

The man gripped his brother’s wrist, yanking him off the examination table and toward the door, both brushing past the shaken Law.

Doflamingo grabbed the handle, turning back and eyeing the boy.

“We’ll talk again.”

With that, they left. 

Law stood frozen in the room, feeling like something terrible had just happened.

He breathed in deeply, shaking off the uncomfortableness and walking out of the room to find his parents.

Thursdays were his favorite day, after all, and nothing could ruin that.

For now, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave your thoughts!


	5. His World Crumbles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added an extra chapter to ask for forgiveness and also because this is the shortest chapter so far!

Law thought long and hard about telling his parents about the two strange men and their odd request. He even thought about telling them about the injured man’s suspiciously mutilated body and how he was certain that the neck wound didn’t come from some ableist mugger but from a more probable gang dispute.

In the end, however, he decided to keep it to himself.

He didn’t want to worry his parents and the odd men hadn’t  _ really _ done anything other than be extremely suspicious.

Plus, his parents seemed to already be in love with the mute man, both talking excitedly about signing, their attention quickly going to their own daughter with thoughts of heading to a Deaf community event. Both bemoaning not interacting more with their daughter’s community due to their busy schedule.

The strange, scarred man seemed to ignite a new flame in them and they were more than happy to look up the next gathering in their area.

Law didn’t want to ruin their good mood by painting the man in an unsightly light, so he kept his mouth shut and waited, smiling at his parents when they asked if he wanted to go to a shadow interpreted play at the kid’s theater and nodding to their askance. 

It would be fine, he was sure of it, though if he met the Donquixote brothers again, he would definitely inform his parents.

Just one off-putting interaction wasn’t enough to get his parents on guard for.

___________

The play was too childish for Law to completely enjoy, but watching the shadow interpreting was definitely interesting and Law couldn’t deny that he liked this style better than the typical interpreting for plays.

Lammy was overjoyed, her attention firmly set on the shadow characters, eyes bright as she watched, enraptured.

Her small hand was firmly grasping Law’s sleeve as if to ensure his own attention was directed at the play.

Law couldn’t keep a fond smile from creasing his lips at the action.

The less-than-interesting play couldn’t hold his attention for long despite his interest in the interpreting style, so his eyes drifted around the crowd.

A shock of yellow caught his eye and he strained to see any detail in the dim light, his stomach dropping in trepidation.

The two men were in the far bottom corner, right by the door, their tall blond heads unmistakable even though Law had only met them once.

He chewed on his lip, watching the men nervously.

‘They aren’t here for me,’ he tried to reason with himself. ‘There’s no way they would have known I was coming here.’

Law was momentarily distracted from his internal debate by the clear presence of children bickering around the two men. 

A girl and boy were slapping at each other, their faces vague from the stage lights they sat so close to, but Law could see their lips curled as they spat at each other.

The larger framed man, Doflamingo, leaned toward his brother, whispering something in his ear before leaning back, the other reaching out his long arms and pressing the kids back in their seats.

The girl sitting next to Rocinante pouted but opted to grip the man’s hand, sticking her tongue out at the boy before settling back to watch the play. The boy sitting on Doflamingo’s side sneered back but didn’t struggle against the pressing hand.

‘See? They are here with kids. They’re just a close family, nothing strange about a family with a mute member taking the kids to a play with signing.’ Law reasoned again, forcing himself to look away from the group and back towards the stage.

Despite the valid reason, Law couldn’t shake his wariness, eyes frequently flickering from the play to the group.

When his eyes landed on the group for the sixth time, his heart stopped when he was greeted by a toothy grin, sunglasses completely unnecessary in the dim room, making the fact that Doflamingo continued to wear them utterly nerve racking.

He tore his eyes away, staring unseeingly at the play, mind racing as he tried not to hyperventilate.

The play passed before Law could resettle himself enough to do anything but look blankly at the stage.

Even Lammy’s excited clapping, her small form jumping up and down as she cheered, could barely shake him from his daze. 

Law couldn’t help from grasping his father’s hand desperately as they exited the auditorium and got in the line for meeting the actors. His father looked at him curiously, eyes slightly worried but a smile creasing his lips as he wrapped an arm around his son. 

“Are you okay?” Law’s father bent down, whispering quietly in his ear, staying close so Law could whisper back.

Law hesitated, unsure if the issue was enough to inform his father.

It wasn’t like the Donquixote family had done anything wrong. They had just showed up at a play and one of them had simply smiled at Law. 

Law bit his lip again, chewing unsurely.

His father rubbed his shoulder in comfort, waiting patiently for Law to answer. 

Law breathed out, taking the comfort and trying to shake off the nervousness.

“I need to use the bathroom.” He whispered back, giving his father his best smile. “But I don’t want to miss meeting the actors.”

His father’s smile brightened, his worry falling off easily as he laughed softly.

“They won’t leave so soon! Let’s go, your mother and sister will save our spot.” Law’s father caught his wife’s eyes at the words and she nodded in understanding.

Law felt bad for lying, but he didn’t want to ruin their trip, already feeling bad for letting his thoughts run out of hand.

Law’s father led him to the bathroom, stopping at the door and motioning Law to go ahead.

“I’m going to get a drink of water, don’t leave before I get back, okay?”

Law nodded in reply, opening the door and heading towards a stall, passing by the urinals with a scrunched nose. 

After he was finished, he washed his hands, scrubbing his hands to get off the nastiness of public restrooms. 

The door opened behind him and Law looked up curiously to look in the mirror. 

Law felt a scream form in his throat before he swallowed it down.

It was  _ them _ .

The family of four came into the bathroom as a group, the boy heading inside first, followed by Rocinante who carried the girl in his arms, and Doflamingo taking up the rear. 

Rocinante gave him a brief look before stepping around the boy and heading to a stall, dropping the girl off and standing outside the door as she went inside. The boy waddled off to one of the urinals and Doflamingo stood smiling at Law by the door.

“What a pleasant surprise to see you, Law! I wasn’t expecting to find you here.”

It was with that statement that Law was entirely certain that the man had been stalking him.

He felt his heart race again, his clean palms starting to sweat as he swallowed nervously. 

“Did you like the play?” Doflamingo continued, unconcerned with the boy’s obvious uncomfortableness as he leaned against the door. “I found the ending utterly fascinating but wholly improbable. ‘Friendship’ is no true power; family is, though, don’t you agree?” 

Law didn’t reply,  _ refused  _ to reply, eyes searching the man, waiting for any attack against him.

The toilet flushed, breaking the tension in the room, and the girl wandered out, making a beeline for the sink on Law’s left. 

“All finished?” Doflamingo turned his attention to the girl, his eyes looking out towards the room’s other occupants. “Let’s go then.”

With that, Doflamingo turned, exiting the room as the girl and Rocinante followed at his heels, the last to leave being the boy who stumbled towards the door and didn’t bother to wash his hands.

Law waited till the door was closed before collapsing against the sink, nearly crying as the panic continued to swirl through him.

He never wanted to see that man again, and this time, he was definitely going to tell his parents. 

_______________________________

His parents were alarmed at the news and promptly filed a police report as soon as they were able to, hands holding their children to their chests as if they feared someone would snatch them from their arms at any moment as they talked to the cops.

What Law didn’t know, however, was that there was a mole who was stationed at the police department or that he would shred the report before it got anywhere.

He also didn’t know that when his parents decided it would be better to pick him up from school themselves after getting Lammy that there would be an accident.

He didn’t know that his entire family would die in the seemingly minor crash or that the investigation would be glossed over and ruled as accidental.

He didn’t know that he would be placed immediately into the care of a prominent foster family, the Donquixote, either.

He didn’t know any of that, but what he did know with all his being as he glared spitefully at the smiling man who came to pick him up from the funeral as tears rushed down his tiny face, teeth clenched in a snarl, was that it was definitely,  _ definitely _ Doflamingo Donquixote’s fault. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be back next thursday let's see if i can keep up with these updates this time! Please leave some thoughts, suggestions, and anything else!


	6. Bad Start in a House of Mazes

Doflamingo had tried to take his hand as they left. His palms were big and warm and should have offered comfort to the grieving boy, but they felt like the claws of some beast, come to snatch Law away as he stood weak but not defeated after the bodies of his family were lowered into the ground.

Law hadn’t even needed to think, his reflexes automatic as he slapped the hand away.

The large man in front of him had frowned and lowered the offered appendage slowly. After a moment of strangled silence, Doflamingo smiled again. The action made Law tense up, his small chest rising and falling rapidly as his eyes flickered over the monster.

“Law, it’s a terrible tragedy what happened to your parents and sister. I understand you must be grieving right now, so you may be a little confused and disoriented. You will be coming to live with my family. There are many other kids for you to play with and get to know and I’m certain you will fit right in with us, Law.”

Doflamingo finished his words with a widening of his smile, teeth white and perfect and full of lies.

“I’d rather not.” Law spat out with as much controlled venom as he could, hyper aware of the crowd of people outside the room, gathered for a funeral the man in front of him had no doubt orchestrated. He just needed to get around the man. Just needed to slip out the door, sneak outside, escape as far away as he could. 

He could live in a homeless shelter or maybe get on a boat to a different country. 

Anything was better than staying with the man who had murdered his family.

“Law,” the blond made it sound as if it was poison being poured into his ear and Law shivered, his body trying to get the word out as if it was a physical object that had been injected inside of him. “There’s no need to be like that.”

“I’m not leaving with you.”

“You _will_.” Doflamingo’s hand landed on his shoulder, the pressure enough to keep him still. Law gripped his wrist with his own hands, both much too small in comparison to the absolute giant. He struggled against the weight, digging his nails into the man’s arm and kicking out at him.

Doflamingo let him go, Law collapsing on the floor at his feet.

Before the man could say or do anything more, Law was up, racing around him, hand outstretched for the door. 

Before he could make it, however, another pair of arms shot out and lifted him up into the air from behind. 

Law’s head turned to see Rocinante, the man having risen from his seat to grab the boy.

“That wasn’t nice,” Despite the mild tone of his voice, Doflamingo’s face was terrifying when he turned to look at the two. He stalked forward, reaching out to grip Law’s jaw and getting in the boy’s face. “You shouldn’t do that, Law. I’ll let it go because I understand you are going through a lot right now. I won’t let it go ag-”

Law cut off the man with a kick, his tiny leg reaching up and knocking Doflamingo’s head back with a snap as he renewed his struggle, this time to get out of Rocinante’s arms. 

The man’s arms tightened near painfully and Law had to cease as he felt his ribs give a disturbing creak.

He barely had a second to settle back before Doflamingo was there again, his hand gripping his jaw tight enough for Law to have to swallow back a scream. 

The hand was gone just as fast as it had come, but in its place, Doflamingo lashed out, catching the back of his hand on Law’s cheek, the boy’s head jerking to the side fast enough for him to get disoriented and his lip to graze his teeth hard enough to split the thin membrane. 

Rocinante took a hurried step back at the movement, tilting his body away so he was between Law and Doflamingo as he switched his arms so he gripped the dazed boy with one and held his brother back with the other.

Doflamingo didn’t try to push Rocinante away, his whole body heaving as he panted like some caged animal, a trickle of blood running out of his nose. Rocinante’s eyes flickered over his brother, searching and begging in the same look.

After a second, Doflamingo took his own step further away from the pair, raising a hand to push back his hair as he wiped the blood away.

Law could feel Rocinante’s own quick breathing, hearing the stuttering pants he gave as they all tried to calm back down.

“I’m fine,” Doflamingo began. “It’s okay, Roci, I’m good.”

Rocinante didn’t relax, but he did slowly release Law, letting the boy drop to his feet. He kept a hand on the boy’s chest to press him against his leg, ensuring he couldn’t escape.

“Law,” Doflamingo began, not coming closer to the two. “We’re going to have to fix some of your personality glitches.”

He straightened his suit, wiping the blood off his hand and dabbing at the blood from his nose with a handkerchief from his pocket. 

“Other than that, I’m sure you’ll fit right in.”

Law was too shocked to say anything back.

___________________________________

The car ride to the Donquixote mansion was tense and strained.

Law was held uncomfortably in Rocinante’s lap, Doflamingo crowding in on his brother, all three pressed against the door as if the spacious limo didn’t have enough room.

Law had struggled as soon as he came back to himself, kicking into the air before Rocinante’s iron grip forced him to cease the movement as his arms dug painfully into Law’s ribs.

Doflamingo’s face was firmly in his brother’s neck and Law could feel his fingers where they were wrapped around Rocinante’s wrist.

It was entirely uncomfortable, the closeness Doflamingo forced them all into. 

Law’s cheek hurt, throbbing in time to his heartbeat, and the boy was sure he would have bruises decorating his torso from the mute man’s unforgiving grip.

The trip to the Donquixote mansion was long and unnecessary. The winding road and tall ferns making Law feel small and nauseous in comparison, much like the Donquixote brothers did.

He could feel the puffs of Doflamingo breathing fanning over the top of his head from where the air bounced off of Rocinante. It felt wrong. Everything felt wrong.

When the car came to a stop, Law glanced out the window to see an absolutely giant mansion. It was lavish and well cared for, the picture perfect scene for any royal drama.

Law missed the clinic.

Missed his mother. His father. His sister.

He would never forgive Donquixote Doflamingo for what the man had done to him.

Never.

___________________________________

The rest of the family was expecting them when they arrived.

Law was led into the house with Rocinante’s firm grip on his shoulder, Doflamingo leading the way. The others were waiting in what Law assumes was a dining room, the long table filled with foods from meats to greens to starches and even a few broths.

Rocinante removed his hand and walked to the other side of the table, taking a seat to the left side of what was probably Doflamingo’s chair.

Law didn’t have a chance to feel relieved at the lessened pressure before Doflamingo’s hands were resting on both of his shoulders.

“Everyone,” he called their attention, which Law thought was unnecessary as they had all quieted and turned to the tall blond as soon as he had entered. “This is Law, our newest Family member.”

Law could hear the smile in the man’s voice, could practically see it in his mind’s eye.

The seated members looked at him curiously, the two kids from the play peeking around the gathering of adults with a critical innocence that only children could achieve.

“What’s wrong with his face?” The large boy asked, a fork shoveling food into his mouth without hesitation. “Looks sick.”

“Is is contagious?” Jora questioned, her tone full of disgust as she tightened her grip on an infant in her lap. “Don’t let him near Dellinger.”

Law’s fists clenched, jaw tightening without his permission. He was horrified to feel the telltale signs of tears forming in his chest and eyes, the pressure on his lungs and blurriness in his vision feeling more like a betrayal of his body than anything else.

It’d been a long time since such a comment had affected him, but he reasoned that his walls were already damaged by the funeral and the hit and the sheer terror of the entire situation.

“Now, now,” Doflamingo started, raising his hands to calm the group. “It’s just an abnormal skin pigmentation, not a disease. Think of them as overly large freckles.”

Law wanted to kick the man again, but he thought better of it as he looked around the room at the people who would undoubtedly attack him in turn.

Doflamingo started to introduce Law to everyone around the table, Law listening with half an ear as he tried to remember the layout of the house and the road they had taken.

“Law,” The boy was startled out of his thoughts when Doflamingo’s hands gripped his shoulders harder. “Why don’t you go sit next to Lao G?” 

Law looked up at the man, noticing the less-than-pleased expression and realizing that the man had known of Law’s inattention. 

He looked around the table, trying to think back to who was who, but stopping when he saw there was only one open chair other than the one at the head of the table.

The boy hesitated, looking back at the door behind Doflamingo before heading to the seat between an old man and a man with a clump of rice stuck to his face.

He could bide his time.

______________________

“My name is Baby 5,” the girl held out her hand, a bright smile on her face as she came up to Law after Doflamingo had dismissed everyone from dinner. “Your room is in the Children’s Wing, so I’ll show you around.”

Law glared at the girl, refusing to even look at her hand.

Her smile faltered, face scrunching with uncertainty. She shuffled, glossy black shoes tapping audibly against the wooden floors. Baby 5 bit her lip and turned to look behind her, obviously calling for backup.

The boy waddled over on cue, chewing on a lollipop that Doflamingo had presented to him after they had finished eating.

“So what’s wrong with your face?” He spoke around the candy. “Young Master said it wasn’t a disease but it looks weird.”

Baby 5 stepped more behind the boy, looking at Law around her brother’s robust body. 

Law decided to ignore the boy entirely, turning away and looking back towards the door, eyeing it up before looking at the group of adults that were loitering in the dining room. 

The man who he had sat next to was talking to the rude woman clutching an infant to her chest, the two close together and speaking in fast tones before the man abruptly turned and walked out the door without a second look. The women didn’t appear alarmed by the action as she too turned away and walked towards a tall, thin man with long hair, starting up a new conversation in much the same fashion as the first.

The only other person left in the room was Rocinante who had yet to rise from the table.

Law was startled to notice that the blond was staring at him and even more so when he stood as soon as Law looked back at him.

Rocinante came closer to the three kids, towering over them.

Baby 5, upon noticing him, was quick to step towards the mute man, Rocinante automatically picking her up without a thought. Buffalo stared at the man cautiously, his chewing slowing as he waited for the man to do something. 

Rocinante stared down at Law for a second before holding out his hand, Buffalo grabbing it quickly. The other boy worried at his candy aggressively until he finally shoved it fully in his mouth and reached out with his sticky, dirty hand to grip the back of Law’s shirt.

Law glared at him, lip curled in distaste but Buffalo paid him no attention, focusing entirely on keeping the large lollipop from falling out of his mouth.

Rocinante led them out of the room and down a hall, taking a left turn, then a right, then up a staircase.

Law felt dizzy and disoriented, unable to center himself or the position he was in the house. It felt too big and he felt too small. There were no windows to see out of and Law wanted to puke when they reached a door labeled ‘Children’s Wing’ and Rocinante unlocked it.

They were animals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for readin! Please leave me some comments!!!


	7. Carnival House

The Children’s Wing was a long hall in the central region on the second floor with doors lining the walls until you reached the back, where it opened up into what Law thought looked like a playroom, though there were no windows - understandable since they seemed to be in a central hallway that didn’t connect to the outside.

Each door was labeled and each door had two locks on the outside with a total count of nine doors, four on the left and five on the right.

The first two doors were blank, the second on the left also blank, the third on the left labeled ‘Dellinger,’ the fourth on the left labeled ‘Lavatory,’ the third on the right labeled ‘Gladius,’ the fourth on the right labeled ‘Baby 5,’ and the fifth labeled ‘Buffalo’.

The second on the right was labeled in big block letters: LAW.

Law steadfast ignored the room as they walked past it to the bathrooms.

The room was big and Law supposed it’s size was the reason why the left hallway had less doors.

The left side of the room had a glass wall that separated a portion into a smaller section with a large tub, the room already steaming and fogging up the glass while the main room stayed relatively cool.

The back wall had a row of toilet stalls while the right wall had a line of sinks. Against the front wall was three shower heads, right next to the door of the bathroom.

As soon as the door was closed behind them, Buffalo let Law’s shirt go and Rocinante set Baby 5 down on the ground.

Both children were quick to undress, leaving their clothes in a pile on the floor and heading for the shower heads, arguing to each other as they waited for the water to be turned on, Buffalo’s words garbled by the lollipop he had demolished into candy pieces when they entered the room.

Law didn’t follow.

He instead stared up at Rocinante as the man waited for him to undress, silently refusing.

The scarred man shuffled in place uncomfortably, signing for Law to take his clothes off, which he refused again.

“Just do it, hurry up.” Law turned to the other children, Buffalo scowling over at him as he waited for Rocinante to start the showers.

“No.” Law replied evenly, crossing his arms over his chest and staring resolutely at the wall.

Rocinante waited for a minute longer before walking over and turning all three taps on.

Baby 5 and Buffalo rinsed quickly, waiting for Rocinante’s approval as they stood under the spray. 

Law thought about the route they took to get to the Children’s Wing and what little he could remember about the road, determined to burn the paths into his mind.

He let out a startled shout when he was picked up, the shout dying on his lips when he was placed under the third showerhead.

Buffalo’s laughter filled his ears with the rushing water. He stood stark still, frozen in disbelief as he stared up at the frowning man in front of him.

“ _Wash._ ” 

Law thought against it.

He wondered if the man would try to strip him, or if he would make one of the kids do it, but the longer they both stood there, silently eyeing each other up, the more Law realized that the man had nothing left planned.

Begrudgingly, just to make it end quicker, Law took his wet clothes off, throwing the heap at Rocinante’s feet, daring the scarred man to say something.

Rocinante did nothing but step out of the mess, nodding when he checked the other two over and letting them enter the bathroom.

Law followed after them, not bothering to wait for the blond’s approval but getting no repercussions.

The room was hot, the rectangular tub taking up most of the space except for a bench between the wall and the rim of the porcelain bath.

Buffalo and Baby 5 climbed quickly inside with the help of a stool, the boy wading to the far edge while the girl swam beneath the surface, popping back up the lean over the edge of the pool-like tub to smile at Rocinante when the man took a seat on the bench.

Law hesitated before entering the water.

There was something in it, an oil that fragranced the air and tinted the bath an odd color.

He relaxed marginally when he recognized the scent of lavender, remembering his mother filling their baths with the flowers when Law had trouble sleeping.

He stepped carefully onto the stool, looking back at the sitting man who paid him no mind as he listened intently to the girl as she recalled her day with Jora and Dellinger, before stepping inside.

The water felt good. Comforting. Calming. 

Law hated it.

He settled on a raised part of the tub, looking down to see the interior of it, noticing that the center was hollowed out more, making the bath look more like a hot tub than anything.

His attention was redirected when Rocinante stood up and walked to the right wall, pressing against it and releasing a door that had been seamlessly sealed into the tiles. The closet inside was filled with liquids and towels, the man retrieving a couple of bottles and a few wash clothes before closing the door and sitting back on the bench.

He gestured to Buffalo first, who swam forward reluctantly. Popping a bottle open, he poured out a glob in his hands before rubbing it in the large boy’s hair. He dipped his hands in the water and did the same to Baby 5 as Buffalo ducked beneath to rinse it out.

As Baby 5 rinsed, Rocinante looked back at Law, holding out the bottle without waiting for the boy to swim closer.

Law snatched it from his hands, pouring some out and sudsing up his own hair. 

It had a slight lemony scent, the smell sending Law’s muscles into relaxation.

Law frowned, recognizing the effect of both the bath and soap as those meant to promote sleep and calm a person down, but Law didn’t want to calm down.

He looked at the bottle, eyeing the expensive label critically before dumping the rest of the liquid into the bath.

Baby 5’s incessant chatter halted and Law looked up to see her frozen in mid-sentence.

Rocinante stared at the bottle in Law’s hands, fingers beginning to tap against the edge of the tub as the air grew more stifling.

“Law! You dropped it.” Baby 5 waded quickly through the water until she stood in front of Law, taking the bottle and handing it off to a still silent Rocinante as she continued babbling. “You spilled it, silly.”

Her smile was bright, but Law could see the edge around it, her silent begging for him not to start anything.

Law didn’t reply to her, instead staring at Rocinante’s profile as he picked up the second bottle and poured some in Buffalo’s hair.

Baby 5 trailed off unsurely before inching back to the mute man with a slight frown on her face, waiting patiently as the liquid was massaged into her hair as well.

When Rocinante turned to Law, he motioned the boy over rather than handing the bottle over. Law didn’t move from his place against the far corner.

In a blur, the man stood and reached over, grabbing Law’s wrist tightly and dragging him to the other side before a handful of creme was placed in his hand and he was released. 

Law froze, unsure of what had occurred before the actions caught up to his brain and he registered the conditioner. He stared at the creme, eyes flashing back up to the man’s with an anger he deserved to feel. Without a second thought, Law smacked the substance directly into Rocinante’s face, making sure to give a twist of his wrist to ensure he rubbed it into the man’s eyes.

Expectedly, Rocinante recoiled back, hands raising to wipe the mess from his face.

Unexpectedly, he came back to the edge, eyes still squeezed shut, and grabbed Law by the back of his hair, pushing the boy’s head beneath the water’s surface.

Law struggled against the hand, his own pair raising to scratch and tug at the larger’s, teeth gritted to dissuade him from gulping in water. He twisted in Rocinante’s grip, his movements becoming more wild and desperate as he went longer without air, but the man didn’t let up.

Law’s chest burned, his nostrils pulling in water without his permission, his mouth opening and more liquid gushing down his throat and into his lungs.

Finally, Law stilled.

His head was wrenched back up, gasping oxygen back into his system as he sputtered out the water that had flooded him. He coughed harshly, the sound grating and harsh, his throat feeling raw and abused and painful with every gulped breath.

He hacked up more water, nose and eyes burning while his vision edged out of the grey tinge the oxygen deprivation had clouded his sight with. 

When his eyes finally opened to see clearly, it was to a dripping scowl as Rocinante washed the last of the conditioner from his eyes.

A quick glance showed the two other kids huddled away from the disaster, both wary of what would happen next. Not that Law wasn’t either as he swayed, head heavy and breaths wet and sucking.

It was painful. Horribly and achingly so. 

Two minutes passed as Rocinante and Law both stared each other down for what seemed like the 100th time that night. To end it, Rocinante turned jerkily away from him, reaching to pick up the fallen washcloths and soap from the ground.

He drizzled some of the soap out onto the three washcloths, handing two off to a quiet Baby 5 and Buffalo, and turning back to Law.

Without hesitation, Rocinante reached out again, gripping Law’s arm and dragging him closer as he scrubbed roughly at his arms and chest before Law wrenched himself away.

“I can do it myself!” He bit out, wincing at the soreness in his throat and snatching the cloth and retreating to the other side of the tub.

The man allowed it, but his eyes bore critically into Law as he scrubbed down.

When they were all finished, Rocinante took back all the wet rags and deposited them in a chute hidden behind another wall panel. He then opened the other panel, taking out three towels and handing them off to the children.

Law followed Baby 5 and Buffalo’s lead, climbing out of the tub and filing out of the bathroom.

The two stopped in front of the sinks, waiting for Rocinante to catch up, and Law idled by the door, eyes traveling around the room again.

Rocinante emerged from the bathroom, shirt rolled up to his elbows, showing the multitude of scars and burns.

The man walked to Law first, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the sinks, the boy struggling for appearance’s sake.

Another panel was opened, the mute man pulling out toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a decanter of liquid that Law assumed was mouthwash, though it was the septic yellow kind that Law always wondered who bought when seeing them in the store.

Rocinante handed off the toothbrushes, opening a new one for Law, and squeezed out the paste onto each one.

Law brushed his teeth without pause, not tempted to see the punishment for refusing and not minding the familiar task.

His attention was drawn to Rocinante as he brushed, watching as he opened yet another panel and took out a brush, working the bristles through Baby 5’s hair before neatly braiding the wet curls. The man replaced the brush and pulled out a comb, running it through Buffalo’s hair and correcting the boy’s brushing as he lazily lolled the toothbrush in his mouth like his earlier lolly. 

A dreading pit started forming in Law’s stomach as realization dawned on him that he was next.

The same thing seemed to run in Rocinante’s head as he slowed in his brushing and placed the comb back, picking up another one hesitantly. 

Law took a step back when Rocinante turned in his direction.

In response, Rocinante was at Law’s side in a flash, hand gripping the back of the boy’s neck to stop him from getting away. Law struggled futilely, unwilling to accept the man’s heavy handedness even though he knew he couldn’t escape.

He swung his arm back, trying to use the extra reach of the toothbrush to hit Rocinante, but he barely got a tap before the hand released his neck to wrap around his chest and grip his wrist, pulling it towards his body.

“ _Do you want me to brush your teeth_?” 

Law glared up at the man, seeing the reality of his threat in his eyes.

“Let me brush my own hair.” He managed to spit out between clenched teeth. “I don’t want you touching me.”

As if to prove it, Law struggled against the arm around his chest again. Rocinante squeezed tighter until Law stopped, letting the boy go slowly.

Rocinante stared down at Law with an unreadable expression before carefully setting down the brush on the sink counter. He stood behind Law, arms crossed over his chest as Law jerkily pulled the comb through his drying hair while grinding his toothbrush between his teeth.

When he was finished, Law tossed the comb down aggressively before continuing to brush his teeth.

He finished with a final spit into the sink, rinsing his mouth out with water and turning to Rocinante with a sneer.

The man ignored him, gathering the toothbrushes and Law’s comb before taking a dropper from the paneled cabinet. He carefully siphoned some of the yellow liquid with the dropper and turned to Baby 5 who waited readily with her head tilted back and tongue stuck out so Rocinante could drip some of the fluid down her throat. 

Law blinked at the action.

His brows creased and his lips parted as he watched in shock as Buffalo did the same.

When Rocinante turned to Law again, Law’s face twisted into an expression that told the man that he would do anything to ensure that the yellow liquid did not come near him.

Rocinante tapped the end of the dropper against the edge of the bottle’s lip as he studied the boy, the slight tinkling sound echoing in the otherwise silent bathroom.

Before either could say anything, the door slammed open and a teenager stepped inside, letting the door slam behind him again.

“ _Why are you late_?” 

Gladius saw the signs in a passing glance, heading for the shower, before stopping and walking towards the group.

“I’m not late - I’m here, aren’t I?” Gladius pulled his mask down and opened his mouth expectantly. The tapping grew louder before suddenly ceasing as Rocinante refilled the dropper and poured it down Gladius’s throat.

Law pressed against the sink, the teen too close to him for comfort as he practically leaned over the boy to talk to Rocinante.

Seeing him, Gladius lowered his hand, dropping it in Law’s head and grabbing him by the hair when he tried to get away.

“Can I do it?” Gladius nodded to the decanter in Rocinante’s hands. 

Rocinante looked the teenager up and down disapprovingly, causing the teen to shuffle, yanking Law’s hair even more.

“ _You’re mad_.” It wasn’t a question, neither did it answer Gladius’s question in Law’s mind, but it apparently did in Gladius’s, as he jerked Law’s head back a final time before letting go and stalking off to the showers.

Law’s eyes followed the teenager with a glare, too focused on digging holes into Gladius’s back to stop Rocinante from grabbing his cheeks and pushing the dropper down his throat.

He immediately tried to push the man off and spit the fluid up, but Rocinante twisted Law around and put a hand over his mouth, forcing his head up and his back to the man’s legs. 

Law swallowed automatically, coughing and sputtering when Rocinante let him go. He spun on his heel, lips pulled back in a snarl.

Rocinante just gave him an even stare, turning around and putting everything back in the panel. 

“ _Go_.”

Baby 5 and Buffalo walked past Law, the boy snagging his arm in a surprisingly firm grip and pulling him out the door with him.

“Your room is there.” Buffalo said, pointing at the door labeled with his name. He let go of Law’s arm and exited through his own door without a backwards glance.

Baby 5 hesitated at her own door, watching Law warily.

“You’ll come to like it here.” She finally spoke up, small fingers gripping her door frame, her nails painted a bright pink shade. “If you follow the rules, you won’t be tossed out like the others.”

“I want to be tossed out.” Law didn’t bother looking at her, his eyes trained on the door at the end of the hall. “I will never belong with that man - with _those men_.”

The younger didn’t reply, teeth gnawing on her lips as she watched him with dark eyes. 

When her door closed behind her, Law gave a glance towards the bathroom door before heading to the end of the hall.

His hand closed around the knob, hesitating for a second before twisting it.

It was unlocked.

Law’s palms started sweating, his chest expanding with air his lungs refused to take in and he held the towel around him closer to himself. He pulled the door open quickly, afraid it would lock itself somehow if he wasn’t fast enough.

A man waited on the other side of the door.

The man Law had sat next to, the one who had listened to the loud woman’s words after dinner. 

The man’s eyebrows rose from behind his sunglasses.

“Really?” Law’s heart stopped at the word, the air no longer even getting halfway down his throat. “Go to bed.”

Law did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading!!! Please please review!

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a long boy and we'd really appreciate feedback so that we can make this a great experience for all of us! I'm always open to suggestions!!!


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